I've had a softphone plan in addition to my main Vonage line for 2+ years now, and I'd like to transfer the softphone number to a cell phone. Will Vonage release these numbers to another carrier, and has anyone had any luck porting a softphone number?

let me just inform you that a softphone number is not a physical line. softphone numbers cannot be ported to other carrier... another reason is that your softphone number is just a virtual number which cant be ported since your line is dependent on your softphone software which is xj pro... hope you found your answers!!!

There is no *technical* reason I can think of why a softphone number can't port out. As far as Vonage is concerned (server wise) soft and normal numbers are exactly the same- the only difference is that they give you the SIP login password for the softphone account, whereas a normal line only your ATA gets the password.

They may have a policy against porting softphone numbers, not sure about that.

[B][align=justify]well, you can never port out a SoftPhone number or port a number to be your Vonage SoftPhone number, though you can port/portout your Virtual number.soft phone number is not a real number ! it is just a software with an IP address using the assigned number to make and receive calls, therefore this number is NOT REGISTERED TO THE TELEPHONY NETWORK !!!that explain why you can not also foreword or transfer your calls from or to a SoftPhone number !!!!hope that will help you !!

On the PSTN side, companies called CLECs (XO, Level3, Global Crossing, etc) set up servers in the various central office switches run by the phone company. They do this acting as 'competitive exchange carriers' and the ILECs (verizon sbc qwest etc) are required to give them access. They plug their servers into the PSTN there. Then they register a few blocks of local numbers.Vonage comes along and they have a contract with the CLEC. Subscriber signs up with Vonage, gets a number assigned through the CLEC, and is shipped an ATA.

When they get their ATA and plug it in, it uses a uses the SIP protocol to connect to the Vonage server. When they make a call, it sends the call to the Vonage server which sends it out, usually through a CLEC as above. However it's important to note that the call may not go out through the same system as it came in on...Anyway when a call comes in, the PSTN routes it to the CLEC, who sends it to Vonage, who sends it to the ATA, which rings.

Now say you get a softphone account. The EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS, the only difference is that instead of giving you an ATA, they just give you the SIP username/password. As far as the Vonage backend is concerned, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a Softphone and a normal line. The only difference is that softphone gives you the password, normal line prevents you from getting the password.

The only reason why port-out may not be possible is if they don't bother to update the address of record for softphone accounts. That is, instead of making the number 'yours', they make it 'theirs', thus the port will fail due to bad address match. If this is the case though, it is due to Vonage policy or the way their billing system is set up, there is NO technical reason why a softphone number is non-portable.

And if you still don't believe me, other carriers that offer BYOD (bring your own device) act exactly the same as a softphone, you sign up and they email you a username/password to connect. You can punch it into an ATA or use a softphone app, their server doesn't care. These companies port in/out all the time.